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| AP Photo Archive |
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| A horse therapist massages an aching animal |
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Some people have some truly unusual jobs. Do they really get paid for that? While most have the normal eight-to-five, Monday through Friday, never ending paperwork kind of jobs, some women have broken out of the ordinary job expectations and have some truly unusual careers.
Massage therapists offer services that relax, rejuvenate and heal. Many massage therapists work at luxurious spas or fancy hotels and cater to the rich and famous.
But a horse barn? That’s exactly where Suzanne Hackman, horse massager, works.
Hackman has grown up on a horse ranch since age three. The amount of trust and experience she has gained around horses is an essential part of her job. She uses this experience to gain her “clients’” trust.
When the horses trust her, Hackman said she is better able to work on them and produce better results for them.
Hackman’s work is especially beneficial for performance horses. Performance horses compete in the highest levels of competition.
They could be considered world class athletes because “you can improve their range of movement and their stamina [and] are improving muscle quality and their circulation,” Hackman said.
Hackman has also been trained to assess a horse’s posture and movement to detect problems.
Laura Opshinsky has another unusual job as part owner of the Pittsburgh area’s oldest professional puppet company.
Running the company with her husband, Opshinsky does many different shows that entertain all ages.
Her puppetry skills include educational shows for elementary aged students, puppet making workshops and even custom made puppets and stages.
If you dread the idea of sitting behind a desk for the rest of your life, maybe pursuing an “unusual” job is the right career move for you.
